Chemnitz plans with Pastore: "Why not nine more years?"

Basketball surprise team Niners Chemnitz wants to continue working with successful coach Rodrigo Pastore in the long term. Managing Director Steffen Herhold told the German Press Agency ahead of this week's European Cup final. "Rodrigo Pastore is a key architect of this project and how it has developed. He has driven a lot of things forward in a process-oriented way, it has been a continuous development. We are building on that and want to continue. Why not another nine years?" said Herhold.

Pastore has been in charge at Chemnitz since 2015 and led the club first to the Bundesliga and then to the European Cup. The first leg of the Fiba Europe Cup final against Bahcesehir Koleji from Turkey is scheduled for Wednesday (7 p.m./Fiba on YouTube).

Winning the title would be crucial for the Niners. "It would be great for the club and a real highlight for the city. It would be etched in the collective memory. That's a huge achievement," said Herhold ahead of the two games. Chemnitz is not only playing strongly internationally this season, but also in the Bundesliga. A few weeks before the start of the play-offs, the Saxons are currently second only behind cup winners FC Bayern Munich.